The time has come to take control of the media out of the hands of an elite few.
Students occupied the Alfred Hahn Student Services building on Monday Nov. 30 for around 20 hours after preventing entry by its workers. Their decisions were made through democratic action that was also used at Occupy Wall Street.
Roughly 80 protesters occupied a vacant building at 75 River Street on Wednesday, Nov. 30. Santa Cruz police attempted to enter the building, but demonstrators barricaded the door.
Although Black Friday and Occupy Wall Street represent vastly different things, their fervor comes from the same place, and that is the desire for justice.
Bank Transfer Day doubles the amount of money being transferred from national banks and into community banks and credit unions since Sept. 29, the day Bank of America announced plans to implement a $5 debit card fee. Account holders at the large national banks have been taking action with their wallets since then, an action that has been costing Wall Street banks billions of dollars.
From film screenings, to booths and human chains, Occupy SC was anything but boring over the weekend. The popular local arm of the Occupy Wall Street movement protested injustice and inequality all over town during the long, hot weekend, and many community members came out to join and support them, a sign that shows the movement is still strong.
ABC news recently reported that credit unions are seeing a big surge in membership, and it’s easy to see why. Wells Fargo and Bank of America both recently announced that they will be adding new charges for debit and credit accounts, as well as for online services.
Occupy Santa Cruz demonstrates on courthouse steps. As the “occupy” movement grows nationwide, Santa Cruzans are trying to attract more people to join them as they demonstrate at the courthouse. Protesters include locals and UCSC students.
The Occupy Wall Street movement has spread like wildfire from Wall Street to Santa Cruz, and despite the distance, the movement maintains a common language — linguistically and methodologically, as well as in its rhetoric. Considering the demands and the imperativeness of the movement, and the extent to which the flaws pointed out by Occupy Wall Street are seen daily in our own county, the participation of the Santa Cruz contingent is no surprise.
“Strength of conviction has never been a problem for Santa Cruz,” former Mayor Scott Kennedy said at the kick-off of the Occupy Santa Cruz action, an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement happening on the opposite coast.